VILLANOVA LOOKS TO CONTINUE ROLL, VISITS WVU

February 13, 2009


Last night we saw how a desperate team could react on their home floor in a must-win situation. West Virginia has much of the same necessity for a win tonight when they host Villanova for a Friday night Big East conference special.

Friday the 13th in Morgantown for a 9 PM contest, that is a scary proposition for an opponent. The red-hot Villanova Wildcats, winners of six in a row, look to continue their winning ways against a WVU squad that has lost three of their last four games and fallen below .500 in the Big East at 5-6.


Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's contest:

Nova-WVU Not Lacking Intrigue (Times West Virginian)
Rare Friday Night Gem Kicks Off Full Weekend of Hoops (ESPN)
WVU Faces Elite Villanova (Daily Mail)
WVU Looks to Cage Wildcat Offense (Journal-News)
Streaking Villanova Visits (Charleston Gazette)
WVU to Host No. 13 West Virginia at its Hottest (Times West Virginian)
Difficult Stretch Continues for WVU (Metro News)
Wildcats Hopes to Open Tourney Close to Home (Philadelphia Inquirer)

During the 'Nova six-game winning streak, they have gotten big games from Scottie Reynolds (31 at PC, 27 vs. Marquette) and Dante Cunningham (31 vs. SU), but the consistent play of Corey Fisher, averaging 13 points, shooting over 56% and stepping up his defensive efforts, might be the biggest lift the team has had.

Fisher came to Villanova amidst much hype, but he struggled in his freshman season. He battled injuries as well as finding his place in the backcourt alongside Scottie Reynolds as both seemed to be scoring point guards. Fisher finished the Big East schedule last season shooting under 25% (15-61) from the field over the last eight games and averaging 5.6 points a game and in the Big East Tournament, he scored just two points in two games.

His play of late seems to indicate he finally is getting 'it' in Jay Wright's system and finding his place. His 21-points in this week's win over Marquette was another display of a more efficient Fisher on offense while still helping with the little things at the other end of the court when needed.

With Reynolds and Cunningham consistently leading the offense, Fisher finding a role to excel at in a complimentary position has helped take VU to new heights.

The schedule has been pretty brutal for WVU and they begin a crucial two-game homestand with Villanova on Friday and then Notre Dame coming in on Wednesday. For a team fighting to stay on the right side of the NCAA Bubble, they must pick up wins that will serarate them from other NCAA hopefuls. Following the pair of home games, they hit the road for Rutgers, the anticipated return of Bob Huggins to Cincinnati and a game at South Florida before finishing at home with DePaul and Louisville to close the regular season.

Offensively, WVU has shown they can struggle mightily in Big East play. Villanova will look to concentrate on Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler, the two most responsible for making the WVU offense go. The experienced guard corps of VU will also target freshman point guard Darryl Bryant and try to disrupt the flow of the Mountaineer offense by making everything tough on him. This might be the key development. WVU has not dealt well with the pressure and physical defense of Louisville, UConn, Pitt and Marquette, and the Wildcats will look to unleash their attack as well.

For WVU to win, the x-factor will likely have to be Devin Ebanks. The much-hyped, 6-foot-9, multi-talented freshman forward needs to be a consistent source of offense in support of Ruoff and Butler. Ebanks has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, including a career-high 16 in Monday's loss at Pitt.

West Virginia, unranked, is a 4 1/2-point favorite tonight against the 13th ranked team in the country. While the WVU computer numbers remain very strong, led by a tough defense, their play in the Big East does not give one a lot of confidence in this match-up, mostly because of their youth at key spots, especially at point guard.

Villanova is averaging 99 points a game in their last three outings as they have been able to play in a free-flowing environment, averaging over 81 possessions a game, an astounding number. WVU plays at an average pace nearly identical to the national average of 66.7 possessions a game. With a freshman point guard, controlling that tempo will decide the game. However, in the ebb and flow of college hoops over the long season, 'Nova is due for an off game and with a raucous crowd and a desperate team coached by Bob Huggins, WVU should squeek one out.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

West Virginia 68
Villanova 65